The Book Of Enlightenment

Of all the divine revelations to the children, perhaps the most priceless of all is the one revealed by the Divine Mother July 23, 1994. In his Sahasrara Kash asked," Shri Mataji, what was Your original name?" The eternally young Woman, the MahaDevi, replied: "Shri Lalita Devi."
"The Agni Pr. Says, The first sutra (Siva-sutra, I. 1) says, 'Atman is his consciousness (caitanya)'; the second sutra says 'the [worldly] knowledge is bondage.' Hence what is praised or experienced by the Devas and others is the Atman; for the Tantraraja says, 'The universal form Lalita is declared to be the very Self'; as she is inseparable from the self, her vaibhava is all-pervading, possessed with infinite powers, etc."Sri Lalita Sahasranama"Now the name Nirmala itself means immaculate; means the one who is the cleansing power and the name of the Goddess also. My actual sign name is Lalita who is the name of the Primordial Mother. That is the name of the Primordial Mother."Shri Mataji, New York, USA, 30 September 1981

Truth as clear and pristine as a mountain stream

Sri Lalita Sahasranama 201-300

201) Sri Sadgati-Prada— Leads devotee to Highest Truth or Reality which is Herself.

Finite and transient are the fruits of sacrificial rites.
The deluded, who regard them as the highest good remain subject to birth and death.
Living in the abyss of ignorance, yet wise in their own conceit,
The deluded go round and round [countless rebirth], like the blind led by the blind.
Living in the abyss of ignorance, the deluded think themselves blessed.
Attached to works, they know not God.
Works lead them only to heaven, whence, to their sorrow,
Their rewards quickly exhausted, they are flung back to earth.
Considering religion to be observance of rituals, and performance as acts of charity, the deluded remain ignorant of the highest good.
Having enjoyed in heaven the reward of their good works,
They enter again into the world of mortals.
But the wise, self-controlled, and tranquil souls, who are contented inspirit, and who practice austerity,
And meditation in solitude and silence are freed from all impurity,
And attain by the path of liberation the immortal, the truly existing,
The changeless Self.

Mundaka Upanishad 1.2.7-11
"Muhammad al-Harraq (d. 1845): "Seekest thou Laila [Divine Reality], when she is manifest within thee? Thou deemest her to be other, but she is not other than thou."Jalal al-Din Rumi (d.1273): "Though the many ways [diverse religions] are various, the goal is one. Do you not see there are many roads to the Kaaba?"

In some Sufi orders the goal of the mystical quest is"personified as a woman, usually named Laila which means 'night'... this is the holiest and most secret inwardness of Allah... in this symbolism Laila and haqiqa (Divine Reality) are one."This, and the above statements appear to be distinctly contrary to Muslim orthodoxy in their blatant echoes of Eastern mystic religions. Yet, for Sufis this is not a problem. As Ibn 'Arabi stated,

My heart has become capable of every form: it is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christians, and a temple for idols and the pilgrims Ka'ba and the tables of the Torah, and the book of the Koran. I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love's camels take, that is my religion and faith.

Another Sufi saint, Mahmud Shabistari, in his work Gulshan-i Raz (The Mystic Rose Garden) concurs, declaring," what is mosque, what is synagogue, what is fire temple? ... 'I' and 'You' are the Hades veil between them.. When this veil is lifted up from before you, there remains not the bond of sects and creeds."

Thus, not only has Sufism been influenced by other religions, but its mystic quest for spirituality has led it to embrace all sorts of religion, as abundantly shown in the writings of the great Sufi saints. To try to deny this as a scholar is incomprehensible. Yet, those scholars who are sympathetic towards Islam, as previously shown, have a marked tendency to minimize or altogether ignore these facts."

William Van Doodewaard, Sufism: The Mystical Side of Islam
University of Western Ontario, London, Canada: 1996
202) Sri Sarvesvari
— Queen of the Universe.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
May the Sages who first discovered the Word, who,
After meditating upon it long and silently in their hearts and spirits,
Were illumined in their own inner beings, and succeeded in communicating,
And pronouncing that same Word to their fellow men —
May they themselves shine with lustrous splendor!

Brahmavidya AV IV, 1
That Sacred Word which was first born in the East,
The Seer has revealed from the shining horizon.
He disclosed its varied aspects, high and low,
The womb of both the Existent and the Nonexistent.

May this ancestral Queen who dwells among beings,
Stride forth toward primordial creation!
I have conveyed to her this shining Sunbird.
Let them offer warm milk to the one who is thirsty for worship.

The wise who knows from birth this world's hidden thread,
Discerns the coming to birth of all the Gods.
From the bosom of the Sacred Word, He brought forth the Word.
On high, below, he abides in his own laws.

Abiding by Cosmic Order, he fixed as his seat,
The mighty firmaments of Heaven and Earth.
Mighty from birth, dwelling in earth and heaven,
He fixed those mighty masses, defining their spheres.

From birth at depths abysmal, the Sacred Word has passed up to the summit;
The cosmic ruler, the Lord of the Sacred Word, is her divinity.
Just as the luminous day is born from light,
So may the radiant singers shine far and wide!

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
Salutations again and again to the Devi who in all beings is termed as Consciousness.

Sri Durga-Saptasati 17-19
Know the masculine, but keep to the feminine:
And become a watershed to the world.
If you embrace the world, the Tao will never leave you,
And you become as a little child.
Know the white, yet keep to the black: Be a model for the world.
If you are a model for the world, the Tao inside you will strengthen,
And you will return whole to your eternal beginning.

He who meditates on,
The luster of your beautiful body,
Which is blessed by the rising sun,
And which dissolves the sky and the world,
In light purple hue,
Makes celestial damsels like Uravasi and others,
Who have eyes like the wild startled deer,
Follow him like slaves.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"Manonmani is the eight place from the centre between the eyebrows, just below the Brahmarandhra; being of that form, She is so called."The Svacchandasamgraha says," There is a Sakti, the cause (of all causes), and above that comes unmani. In that centre there is no time or space, no tattva, no deity, complete freedom, purity, supremacy, what is called rudravaktra (mouth of rudra.) This is called the Sakti of Siva; in it there is neither subject nor object, spotless."So in the Sruti (Rudradhyaya)," Salutation to Vamadeva, supreme excellence," it is explained, that the Sakti of Siva is named Manonmani. The Tripura Up. Also mentions that"When the mind, free from attachment to object, fixed on the heart, attains the state of unmani, then the Supreme Abode (one reached.)"

Again manonmani is a kind of mudra according to the Yoga-sastra, its characteristics are described thus: "By this process the eyes neither close nor open, by which breath is neither inhaled nor exhaled and the mind is a blank neither speculating nor doubting, direct that manonmani towards Me."The Br. Naradiya Pr. Says," When the process of meditation, meditator and the object of meditation are entirely destroyed, then unmani stage arises; consequently he enjoys the ambrosia of wisdom."

R. Ananthakrishna Sastry
The Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, 1988, p. 121Mahadevi or"Great Goddess"Is a term used to denote the Goddess or Devi that is the sum of all other Devis. (Wikipedia)

[The Goddess distinguishes between nonconscious Maya and her own true Self as pure consciousness.]

2.11. [cont.] Since Maya is something we can perceive, it has the nature of nonconscious matter; since knowledge destroys it, it is not truly existent.
2.12. Consciousness is not something we can perceive; what we perceive is indeed nonconscious.
Consciousness is self-luminous; nothing else illuminates it.
2.13. It does not even illuminate itself, for that would lead to the fallacy of infinite regress.
As an agent and the object acted upon are distinct entities, so consciousness itself, like a lamp,
2.14. While shining brightly, illuminates what is other than itself. Know this, O Mountain,
For thus have I demonstrated that consciousness, belonging to my own nature, is eternal.
2.15. The visible world appears and disappears constantly in the various states of waking, dream, and deep sleep.
Pure consciousness never experiences such fluctuations.
2.16. Even if this consciousness itself became an object of perception, then the witness
Of that perception would abide as the real pure consciousness, as before.
2.17. And so those versed in religious treatises regarding the real declare consciousness to be eternal.
Its nature is bliss, for it is the object of supreme love.
2.18. The feeling, 'Let me not cease to be; let me exist forever,' is rooted in love for the Self.
Certainly there is no actual relation between me and all else, since all else is false.
2.19. Therefore I am regarded truly as an undivided whole.
And that consciousness is not an attribute of the Self,
for then the Self would be like an object.
2.20. In consciousness no possible trace of the object state can be found.
And so consciousness also has no attributes; consciousness is not a quality separate from consciousness itself.
2.21. Therefore the Self in essence is consciousness, and bliss as well, always.
It is the real and complete, beyond all relation, and free from the illusion of duality.

Comment

In the Sakta view, Maya is not simply an insentient force but a conscious and willful facet of the Goddess' personality. Somewhat paradoxically, it is the nondualist school of Advaita, emphasizing an acosmic view of reality and characterizing the realm of Maya as false, that often stresses the greatest difference between Maya and the supreme. Advaita objectifies Maya, viewing it as inert and insentient (jada), over against the supreme, conscious subject that is Brahman (or Atman). By way of contrast, the Devi-Bhagavata, more often than not presenting a Sakta viewpoint, asserts that Maya is"The very essence of the supreme Brahman (maya-para-brahma-svarupani)," and that"The world without Maya would ever be unconscious and inert (jada)."

The Goddess in the above verses of the Devi-Gita ignores for the moment the Sakta perspective, adopting a radical Advaita interpretation by drawing a sharp distinction between herself and Maya. This distinction as characterized here is somewhat at odds with the earlier notion of"difference and nondifference' as suggested by the substance/attribute analogies of verse 5. The Goddess now denies the"nondifference," utilizing standard Advaita visual images and metaphors that stress the"difference."As the pure subject or consciousness (variously called caitanya, samvit, jnana, and cit), she likens herself to a lamp that is self-illuminating, revealing the visible realm that is Maya, the realm of inert, material objects (referred to as drsya," the seen," and as jada," inert, dull, insentient"). Pure consciousness itself is never an object of perception or knowledge, but is instead the eternal seer or witness (saksin), observing the ephemeral and false identities of empirical existence.

The Goddess here also denies that consciousness is an attribute of the Self-or herself-in accord with Advaitic principles affirming the radical oneness of the supreme subject, beyond all qualification or attribution (neti, neti). Only objects have qualities or attributes. Thus the Goddess does not possess consciousness but rather is consciousness.

C. MacKenzie Brown, The Devi Gita: The Song of the Goddess
State University of New York Press (September 1998) pp. 91-3

Andrew CohenWe, the Unbelievers
by Andrew Cohen

Enlightenment for the 21st Century

A couple of years ago, I discovered something shocking,
extraordinary, and completely obvious: Most of us simply don't
believe in the evolution of consciousness. And I don't just mean
those who are convinced that God created the world in six days. I
mean those of us who accept the theory of evolution and who are, at
least to some degree, aware of the multidimensional nature of its
manifestation all around us. We believe in cosmological evolution and
understand that we live not in a static universe but in one that is
part and parcel of a deep-time developmental process. We don't doubt
that the universe was born many billions of years ago in a blinding
flash of light and energy. We believe in biological evolution and
have little difficulty comprehending how life itself has evolved from
lower levels of development like worms and butterflies to higher ones
like dolphins and humans. And many of us even recognize that culture
evolves over time and see that development as the expression, at a
collective level, of our human capacity for greater and greater
complexity and integration. We believe in the evolutionary process
because in so, so many ways we can see it all around us: moving,
stretching, changing, reaching, from life to death to new life. But
when it comes to consciousness—especially our own—I have discovered
that our conviction in that same process is often nowhere to be found.

We believe in evolution as an objective fact of life and of the
creative process but not necessarily as a living potential inherent
in our own subjective experience. It stunned me when I first realized
that even many of us who are already dedicated seekers never consider
that our very own consciousness, our deepest sense and experience of
our self, could actually evolve and develop. It must be because it is
such a quantum leap for the subject to become the object—for
consciousness to become the object of its own attention and
intention. I'm not just speaking about awakening to the experience or
fact of consciousness at the level of pure subjectivity, which is
what the spiritual experience is typically all about. I'm pointing to
something even more difficult to grasp, which is the living potential
inherent in consciousness itself for development and growth.

So what does this mean? It means that the feeling/knowing experience
of being ourselves can evolve, change, and develop in ways we simply
cannot imagine. What is it like for consciousness to evolve? We
cannot picture it in the eye of our mind because such development is
a journey from the gross to the subtle and is unreachable with
thought. How can we possibly imagine that which we cannot
conceptualize?

We can imagine our own development as long as we can objectify it
with thought. For example, we can imagine ourselves losing weight and
building muscle. We can imagine ourselves learning algebra, Chinese,
or how to play the guitar. We can even imagine ourselves becoming
less selfish and more compassionate. But we simply cannot imagine our
own self evolving at the level of consciousness itself. It is
important to recognize what an alien concept this actually is in our
culture. We are almost never encouraged to grapple with our own
evolutionary potential at such a fundamental level, and as a result,
most of us have never even considered it. Think about it, just for a
moment: What would it be like for my self to evolve in its very
essence? What would it be like to develop and grow at a level so
profound that I would never be able to see it and yet others would be
able to recognize its expression? If we can even begin to look deeply
into this question, mysteriously, we will already be participating in
the very evolution of consciousness I've been speaking about. And if
we pursue it wholeheartedly, we will be helping to make conscious a
miraculous process that was born many billions of years ago in a
flash of light and energy and is only now beginning to awaken to
itself, through us.

Andrew Cohen, founder and editor-in-chief of What Is Enlightenment?
has been a spiritual teacher since 1986 and is the author of numerous
books, including Living Enlightenment and Embracing Heaven & Earth.Dennis Choptiany, Markham, Canada:"It can be argued that the most
profound creation that humans have made is God. With it came the
formation of a vast number of religions and their destructive
divisions and conflicts. In your opinion, why do people have an
apparent 'need' for religion and why have religions flourished even
today when there is more and more evidence of the validity of
agnostic and atheist views?"

Deepak Chopra:"Religions have an appeal because human beings have
the fear of mortality. All religions promise eternal life. In the
absence of profound knowledge of the workings of the universe, we
rely on so-called religious authority to answer the deepest
questions of our existence: who am I, where did I come from, what's
the meaning and purpose of existence, do I have a soul, what
happens to me after I die, does God exist, and if God exists does
God care about me personally.

Unfortunately, religious ideology, dogma and belief systems are no
longer congruent with what we know about the workings of the
universe. They are inconsistent with our insights from modern
cosmology, evolution, biology and the sciences. Hence, religious
based on primitive belief (and unfortunately, all of them are based
on primitive beliefs) have become quarrelsome, divisive and
frequently idiotic.

However, consciousness still remains a mystery. Is our
consciousness an emergent property of our biology or is
consciousness the ground of existence that differentiates itself
and projects itself as reality? This is not a settled issue. The
current atheists and agnostics, such as Richard Dawkins, for
example, are espousing an old fashioned 19th century atheism. The
god they attack can not be defended. My hope is that as science
progresses and looks at the mystery of consciousness we will see
the emergence of a new spirituality that is secular and scientific
and still addresses our deepest longings and our most important
existential dilemmas."
"For where dwell the gods to whom we can uplift our hands, send forth
our prayers, and make oblation? Beyond the Milky Way are only island
universes, galaxy beyond galaxy in the infinitudes of space — no
realm of angels, no heavenly mansions, no choirs of the blessed
surrounding a divine throne of the Father, revolving in beatific
consciousness about the axial mystery of the Trinity. Is there any
region left in all these great reaches where the soul on its quest
might expect to arrive at the feet of God, having become divested of
its own material coil? Or must we now turn rather inward, seek the
divine internally, in the deepest vault, beneath the floor; hearken
within for the secret voice that is both commanding and consoling;
draw from inside the grace which passeth all understanding?"

Heinrich Zimmer, Philosophies of India
Princeton University Press, 1974, p. 13
"It has been almost twenty years since I wrote Spectrum, and the
intervening two decades have convinced me more than ever of the
correctness of its essential message: being and consciousness exist
as a spectrum, reaching from matter to body to mind to soul to
Spirit. And although Spirit is, in a certain sense, the highest
dimension or level of the spectrum of existence, it is also the
ground or condition of the entire spectrum. It is as if Spirit were
both the highest rung on the ladder of existence and the wood out of
which the entire ladder is made — Spirit is both totally and
completely immanent (as the wood) and totally and completely
transcendent (as the highest rung.) Spirit is both Ground and
Goal ... The realization of our Supreme Identity with Spirit dawns
only after much growth, much development, much evolution, and much
inner work ... only then do we understand that the Supreme Identity
was there, from the beginning, perfectly given in its fullness."

The Vedantic concept of consciousness is somewhat different from the
every-day, Western concept. In the West, what usually is referred to
as consciousness is more likely to be called awareness. In Vedanta
consciousness is omnipresent and objectless. There is consciousness
behind everything — be it a human, an animal or a stone — but a stone
has no awareness and the awareness of an animal is very limited.
Likewise, the awareness of humans can be more or less limited.
Consciousness is static and forever unchanging, but awareness is
dynamic and may undergo changes. Consciousness is the same in all
humans and interconnects all humanity. While consciousness is
undivided and without limits, awareness may be limited and differ
from person to person.

The Ultimate Reality is characterized by three concepts — absolute
being, absolute consciousness and absolute bliss. Nevertheless, the
Ultimate Reality is beyond these and any other human conceptions — It
is objectless, omnipresent, all-pervasive, eternal, infinite,
unchanging, motionless and without any form. Often, the Ultimate
Reality is referred to as a cosmic ocean of consciousness."

Steen Ingemann, Guide to Ultimate Reality (www.rishi.dk/guide/)
4) Sri Cidagni-Kunda-sambhuta
— Born from the Pit of the Fire of Consciousness.
— Burns out ignorance and confers Immortality.
— She who rose from the fire of knowledge and is the ultimate truth.

404) Sri Bhakta-harda-tamo-bheda-bhanumad-bhanu- santaih
— Effulgence of the Sun; dispels Darkness of Ignorance.
— Giver of the Vision of the Ocean of Consciousness.

573) Sri Prajnana Ghana-rupini
— Supreme Wisdom
— State of Consciousness where nothing else is experienced except Self.
—"Like the taste of salt in the sea (It) is everywhere; Prajnana is All
Pervasive."Brahadaranyaka Upanisad

669) Sri Annada
— The Giver of Food.
— Sustains Life and Consciousness.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
Say, He is God, the One! God, the eternally Besought of all!
He neither begets nor was begotten.
And there is none comparable unto Him.

surah 112 Al Ikhlas (The Purity of Faith)
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, Amanna Corporation
He is the one God, hidden in all beings, all-pervading,
The Self within all beings, watching over all works,
Dwelling in all beings, the witness, the perceiver, the only one, free from qualities.

Svetasvatara Upanishad 6.11
"We Hindus believe that there is one all-pervasive God which energizes the entire universe. We can see Him in the life shining out of the eyes of humans and all creatures. This concept of God as existing in and giving life to all things is called"panentheism."It is different from pantheism, which is the belief that God is the natural universe and nothing more. It is also different from theism which says God is only above the world. Panentheism is a beautiful concept. It says that God is both in the world and beyond it, both immanent and transcendent. That is the Hindu view. Hindus also believe in many devas who perform various kinds of functions, like executives in a large corporation. These should not be confused with God. There is one Supreme God only. What is sometimes confusing to non-Hindus is that we may call this one God by many different names, according to our tradition. Truth for the Hindu has many names, but that does not make for many truths.

Hindus believe in one God, one humanity and one world. People with different language, different cultures have understood this one God in their own way. This is why we are very tolerant of all religions, as each has its own path to this one God. One of the unique understandings in Hinduism is that God is not just far away, living in a remote heaven, but is also inside of each and every soul in the heart and consciousness, waiting for you and me to discover. Knowing the One Great God in this intimate and experiential way is the goal of Hindu spirituality."

Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Japuji, p. 1: The Mul Mantra)
This body is the puppet of Maya.
The evil of egotism is within it.
Coming and going through birth and death,
The self-willed manmukhs lose their honor.
Serving the True Inner Guru, eternal peace is obtained,
And one's light merges into the Light.
Serving the True Inner Guru brings a deep, profound peace,
And one's desires are fulfilled.
Abstinence, truthfulness and self-discipline are obtained, and the body is purified;
The Lord, Har, Har, comes to dwell within the mind.
Such a person remains blissful forever, day and night.
Meeting the Beloved, peace is found.
I am a sacrifice to those who seek the Sanctuary of the True Inner Guru.
In the Court of the True One, they are blessed with true greatness;
They are intuitively absorbed into the True Lord.
O Nanak, by His Glance of Grace She is found;
The Gurmukh is united in His Union.

Sri Guru Granth Sahib (Siree Raag, Third Mehl, p. 31.)
I laugh when I hear that the fish in the water is thirsty.
You wander restlessly from forest to forest,
While the Reality is within your own dwelling. The truth is here!
Go where you will — to Benares or to Mathura;
Until you have found God in your own soul,
The whole world will seem meaningless to you.

Kabir
"Sufism was early criticized by those who feared that the Sufis' concern for personal experiential knowledge of God could lead to neglect of established religious observances and that the Sufis' ideal of unity with God was a denial of the Islamic principle of the"otherness"of God. The execution (922) of al Hallaj, who claimed mystical communion with God, is related to this second issue, and in later centuries some Sufis did indeed move to a theosophical monism (for example, Ibn Arabi, d. 1240; and Jili, d. c.1428.) By combining a traditional theological position with a moderate form of Sufism, al Ghazali made mysticism widely acceptable in the Muslim world."

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"The culture of the Great Goddess was very ancient in the Indian area. According to E. Mackay, besides the Indus small statues found in Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro represented Parvati, the wife of Shiva-Pashupati (the divine Shepard, Lord of Creatures) despite the fact that these names had not yet appeared in the pre-Vedic period. Her equivalent in the Aryan Vedas was Ushas (the dawn), the daughter of Heaven (Dyaus Pitar.) The effigy of Shiva- Pashupati carved on a ceramic seal from the third millennium discovered in Mohenjo-Dar0 depicted the deity seated in a Yogic asana since Shiva is Yogeshwara (Lord of Yogis.) The culture of The Mother Goddess was dominant with the Dravadians too.

The age of the Vedic Gods started with the Aryan invasion, when the Divine Mother was represented as Bhoomi-Devi (Earth Goddess, Mother Earth), earlier called Prithivi or as the sacred Cow Kamadhenu or Surabhi. The Vedas mentioned Gayatri about whom Kennedy (Hindu Mythology, p. 345) wrote: "Nothing in the Vedas is superior to Gayatri. The Gayatri is The Mother of the Vedas and of brahmins... . For the Gayatri is Vishnu, Brahma and Shiva, and the four Vedas."The old holy scriptures talk about Gods who become important in the later age of the Puranas.

The Divine Mother occupied a prevailing place among the Puranas deities. She is the Adi Shakti. As Maha-Devi She is the wife of the supreme God Shiva, being known under different other names: Bhairavi (the Terrible) when Shiva becomes Bhairava; Uma (Light), in Kena Upanishad; Haimvati (the daughter of the Himalayas); Jagadamba or Jagan-mata (The Mother of the World); Durga (the Inaccessible); Parvati (the Mountaineer); virgin Gauri (the Yellow or Brilliant); Kali (the Black) first mentioned in the Vedas where She was associated with Agni, later as the wife of Shiva. In the Puranas we find Her as Lakshmi (the Luck), Vishnu's wife, '... This enumeration might further continue with Bhavani, Chandi or Chandika, Shyama (the Black) and the others that reach the number of one thousand names, all mentioned in the Sri Lalitambika Sahasranama Stotram.

She has always been the Shakti, the Power of the corresponding masculine incarnation when appearing in the human form, as a Mother, Wife or Daughter, for example: Sita — Rama's wife; Radha — Krishna's wife; Draupadi — wife of the Pandavas; Mary — Jesus' mother; Fatima — Muhammad's daughter and Hazrat Ali's wife. She has now manifested at the end of the Kali Yuga to announce the dawn of the golden age, Satya Yuga."

Hey, Mother who is Goddess of all universe,
He who meditates on you ,
As the crescent of love of our lord great,,
On the dot of the holy wheel,
Your two busts just below,
And you as the half of Shiva our lord,
Not only Creates waves of emotion in ladies,
But charms the world, which has moon and sun as busts.

He who meditates in his mind,
On you who showers nectar from all your limbs,
And in the form which resembles,
The statue carved out of moonstone,
Can with a single stare,
Put an end to the pride of snakes,
And with his nectar like vision,
Cure those afflicted by fever.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"Eastern philosophy espouses the view that ultimate reality is the unity of opposites, two most fundamental of which are the masculine and feminine principles. God is not conceived as predominantly masculine or feminine, either as God the father or the divine mother. God is the unity of these two opposites variously known as Shiva and Shakti, Yang and Yin, Yab and Yum, or Logos and Eros....

An interesting story in yoga philosophy tells how maya, the principle, involves people in the affairs of life, and yet this same principle also helps us in getting out of our involvement. Maya is a beautiful dancing girl, and Purusha, the spirit, is the beholder, the witness, the onlooker. Maya comes in front of Purusha and begins to dance wonderfully, unfolding the charms and graces of her celestial form. The spirit beholds, bewitched and enchanted. So long as the beholder watches with great interest, Maya continues to dance. But she is very sensitive. The moment she realizes it has had enough, she immediately turns around and shrinks, withdrawing her dance form. Magically she is transformed from the dancing girl into the divine mother. This same power or energy now begins to help the beholder in attaining supreme liberation, which is the ultimate spiritual destiny of life. So Maya is the great enchantress whose power can bring supreme liberation to the individual self; for without divine grace, salvation is not possible."

Dr. Haridas Chaudhuri, The Essence of Spiritual Philosophy
Thorsons Pub. Group, UK, 1990, p. 107-8.
"The enchantress, the Great Maya, who delights in imprisoning all creatures in the terrors of samsara, cannot be pronounced guilty in her role of temptress who lures souls into multiform all-embracing existence, into the ocean of life (from the horrors of which she unceasingly saves individuals in her aspect as 'boat woman'), for the whole sea of life is the glittering, surging play of her shakti. From this flood of life caught in its own toils, individuals ripe for redemption rise up at all times, in Buddha's metaphor like lotus blossoms that rise from the water's surface and open their petals to the unbroken light of heaven."

Those souls great,
Who have removed all the dirt from the mind,
And meditate on you within their mind,
Who is of the form of sun and moon,
And living in the forest of lotus,
And also above the six wheels of lotus,
Enjoy waves after waves,
Of happiness supreme.

Soundarya Lahari Verse 21
217) Sri Maha-Saktih
— The Greatest Power.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"To the Devi who abides in All beings in the form of Power."

within is far, far more personal and powerful.
Just as the brightness of a fire is spread abroad, so the Energy of the Supreme Brahman [spreads throughout] the whole world.
Just as the the brightness is greater or less according to the distance [of the fire], so it is with this Energy, O Maitreya."

Yoga is internalized worship which leads to union with God. It is the regular practice of meditation, detachment and austerities under the guidance of a satguru through whose grace we attain the realization of Parashiva. Aum.

BHASHYA

Yoga," union," is the process of uniting with God within oneself, a stage arrived at through perfecting charya and kriya. As God is now like a friend to us, yoga is known as the sakha marga. This system of inner discovery begins with asana — sitting quietly in yogic posture — and pranayama, breath control. Pratyahara, sense withdrawal, brings awareness into dharana, concentration, then into dhyana, meditation.

Over the years, under ideal conditions, the kundalini fire of consciousness ascends to the higher chakras, burning the dross of ignorance and past karmas. Dhyana finally leads to ecstasy — first to savikalpa samadhi," the contemplative experience of Satchidananda, and ultimately to nirvikalpa samadhi, Parashiva. Truly a living satguru is needed as a steady guide to traverse this path. When yoga is practiced by one perfected in kriya, the Gods receive the yogi into their midst through his awakened, fiery kundalini. The Vedas enjoin the yogi," With earnest effort hold the senses in check. Controlling the breath, regulate the vital activities. As a charioteer holds back his restive horses, so does a persevering aspirant restrain his mind."Aum Namah Sivaya."

If any one has wish in his mind to pray.
"You , Bhavani , my mother,
Please shower on me, a part of your merciful look",
Even before he says," You Bhavani",
You my goddess,
Would give to him the water,
Falling from the crowns,
Of Vishnu, Rudra and Brahma,
At your feet,
And grant him, the eternal life in your world.

Your form in my mind,
Is the colour of red of the rising sun,
Is adorned with three eyes,
Has two heavy busts,
Is slightly bent,
And wears a crown with the crescent moon,
And hence arises a doubt in me,
That you were not satisfied,
By half the body of Shambu that he gave,
And occupied all his body.

Brahma creates the world,
Vishnu looks after it,
Shiva destroys it,
Easwara makes them disappear,
And also disappears himself,
And Sadshiva blesses them all,
By your order given to him,
By a momentary move of your eyebrows.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"The siddhis are well-known super-human powers, namely anima, etc. Other siddhis are also explained in the Skanda Pr.
"The first siddhi is the manifestation of taste [when no object is tasted];
The second is the overcoming of the pairs of opposites;
The third is the being both superior and inferior, i.e. he perceives no difference of degree;
The fourth is the indifference towards the conditions of pleasure, pain, and life;
The fifth called without sorrow [visoka] is illuminator of body;
The sixth is steadfastness in penance and contemplation of the supreme Self;
The seventh is the power of unrestrained motion (through space);
and the eight is the power of suspension, i.e. uniform equilibrium."

Consort of Shiva,
The worship done at the base of your feet,
Is the worship done to the holy Trinity,
Born based on your trine properties.
This is so true, oh mother,
Because don't the trinity,
Always stand with folded hands,
Kept on their crown
Near the jeweled plank,
Which carries thine feet.

The creator reaches the dissolution,
The Vishnu attains death,
The god of death even dies,
Kubera the lord of wealth expires,
The Indras close their eyes one after one,
And attain the wake less sleep,
During the final deluge,
But you my chaste mother,
Play with your consort the Sadashiva

Soundarya Lahari Verse 26
228) Sri Maha-Yantra
— The Greatest Yantra.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
He who regards as equal to the other [Vidyas], with the Vidya of Lalita,
Also this mantra with other mantras, also this yantra with other yantras — That man is only bewildered in mind.
Nitya Tr.
232) Sri Mahesvara-Maha-Kalpa-Maha-Tandava-Saksini
— Silent Witness to the dissolution of the Universe.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"The Witness to the Great Dance of Mahesvara in the Great Cycle (mahesvaramahakalpa- mahatanda — vasaksini). Mahakalpa, the Great Dissolution (pralaya); Great Dance is caused by the fact that the Self alone remaining and having become Bliss after the universe has been drawn into it; as, at that time, there is no one beside Herself, She is the Witness.

The Pancadasistava says,

"Your form alone is excellent, having the noose, elephant hook,
Bow of sugarcane, and the arrow of flowers,
And witnessing the dance of the axe-bearing Parabhairava [Siva in His aspect of Destruction]Started at the time of His drawing the universe [into Himself]."

The Devi Bhag. Pr. also says,

"This [Devi] at the Dissolution [of the universe],
Having drawn the universe into Herself sports,
Having absorbed the souls [linga] of all beings in Her own body." "

R. A. Sastry, Lalita Sahasranama
(R. A. Sastry, Lalita-Sahasranama, The Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, 1988, p. 128.)
"This universe, and indeed all of existence, is maya, Siva's mirific energy. While God is absolutely real, His emanated world is relatively real. Being relatively real does not mean the universe is illusory or nonexistent, but that it is impermanent and subject to change. It is an error to say that the universe is mere illusion, for it is entirely real when experienced in ordinary consciousness, and its existence is required to lead us to God. The universe is born, evolves and dissolves in cycles much as the seasons come and go through the year. These cycles are inconceivably immense, ending in mahapralaya when the universe undergoes dissolution. All three worlds, including time and space, dissolve in God Siva. This is His ultimate grace — the evolution of all souls is perfect and complete as they lose individuality and return to Him. Then God Siva exists alone in His three perfections until He again issues forth creation. The Vedas state," Truly, God is One; there can be no second. He alone governs these worlds with His powers. He stands facing beings. He, the herdsman, after bringing forth all worlds, reabsorbs them at the end of time." "

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"That nothing can exist unless there is ground for its existence, some substratum from which it may rise, is expressed in the Sikshavalli of the Taittireya Upanishad."The universal substratum is known as Para Brahman and the potentiality of manifestation — Sakti, appears in the form of opposing tendencies represented as cohesion — Vishnu, and disintegration — RudraSiva, and their balance, which is the space-time creating principle, being known as Brahma — Immense Being."

The tension between the opposites from which movement arises in the substratum is depicted as the first appearance of Energy (Sakti). It is from manifest energy that existence springs forth. Energy appears as the substance of everything, pervading everything. It can be the power of Siva, the power of Vishnu and the power of Brahma. As the power of their combined form — ParaSivam, it becomes the Supreme Sakti — the resplendent 'Mother of millions of world clusters'.

Grace is the power which is regarded as the Universal Mother, and being inseparably inherent in Siva is also called the Consort of Siva. Listen to Her silent footsteps! She comes, comes, ever comes. Let us sing Her glory at all times. So declared St. Tayumanavar in a canzone of exquisite charm which bears close association with Swami's plaintive song on Guharini:

"All-filling, Ancient, Auspicious, Independent Destroyer of the Triple city, Three-eyed, Beautous, Excellent,
Blissful causing bliss Narani on thousand-petalled lotus throned,
Sovereign Lady beyond the ken of thought.
Cosmic Force transcending quality manifest there where Vibration ceaseth:
Of Thy servants who thus chant thy names am I worthy even to utter their names?
As Mistress of the Vedas hailed by Him whose locks are wreathed with atti flower,
Mother of millions of world-clusters, yet Virgin by the Vedas called !
Oh Swan whose form is bliss, fertile Tevai's Queen, praised of Ganga in whose waters maidens sport!
Lady Uma who lovest mountain haunts and was born, dear to the Mountain-king as the apple of his eye!" "

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"Every being dwells on the very brink of the infinite ocean of the force of life. We all carry it within us: supreme strength — the plenitude of wisdom. It is never baffled and cannot be done away, yet it is hidden deep. It is down in the darkest, profoundest vault of the castle of our being, in the forgotten well-house, the deep cistern. What if one should discover it again, and then draw from it unceasingly? That is the leading thought of Indian philosophy. And since all Indian spiritual exercises are devoted seriously to this practical aim — not to a merely fanciful contemplation or discussion of lofty and profound ideas — they may well be regarded as representing one of the most realistic, matter-of-fact, practical-minded systems of thought and training ever set up by the human mind. How to come to Brahman and remain in touch with it; how to become identified with Brahman, living out of it; how to become divine while still on earth — transformed, reborn adamantine while on the earthly plane; that is the quest that has inspired and defied the spirit of man in India through the ages.

Still, we cannot say that this is exclusively an Indian objective ... Throughout the world we find men striving for this summum bonum: the gold, the pearl, the watercress of deathlessness."

Heinrich Zimmer, Philosophies of India, Princeton University Press, 1974, p. 80-1.
254) Sri Dhyana-Dhyatr-Dhyeya-Rupa
— In the form of meditation, meditator and meditated.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"I meditate on all those who meditate on Me."

Shri Lalita Devi
Montreal, Canada — June 27, 1994

The cosmic soul is truly the whole universe, the immortal source of all creation,
All action, all meditation.
Whoever discovers Him, hidden deep within,
Cuts through the bonds of ignorance even during his life on earth.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
I Myself am the universe and there is no other permanency.

Devi Bhag. Pr.(source: R. A. Sastry, Lalita-Sahasranama, The Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, 1988.)
"VisvarUpa : Visva, tha jivas in the waking state manifested through
the gross elements, and VaisvAnara is he who is the aggregate of the jivas. Rupa, form ie these two are her forms.

Or, by the preceding name [255] is meant that she is inseparable
form the universe; hence this name expresses that Devi is in the
form [rUpa] of the universe [visva]; the meaning is that her form is
the universe itself and she has no other form except this as the
supporter of the universe. The Visnu Pr. Says," Just as the
plantain tree cannot be seen independently of bark and leaves, like
wise the universe, O Lord, is seen, depending on you only."The De.
BhAg.Pr. Also in the first book mentions," I myself am the universe
and there is no other permanency."

Or, vi, separate, svarUpa, a dog's form- the evolution of human
being [jivabhAva] of Brahman directly is the lowest kind of form,
comparable to that of a dog; so, inferior service is called svavrtti
[dog's service, see Manu Smr.]; the lower human existence
[pasubhAva] is called SvarUpa [ a dog's form of the devotees], vi
released by means of Devi's grace."

BhAskararAya's Commentary
Translated into English by R. Ananthakrishna Sastry.
For millions upon millions, countless years was spread darkness,
When existed neither earth nor heaven, but only the limitless Divine Ordinance.
Then existed neither day or night, nor sun or moon;
As the Creator was absorbed in an unbroken trance.
Existed then neither forms of creation, nor of speech; Neither wind nor water.
Neither was creation or disappearance or transmigration.
Then were not continents, neither regions, the seven seas,
Nor rivers with water flowing.
Existed then no heaven, no mortal world, no nether world;
No hell, no heaven, or time that destroys.
Hell and heaven, birth and death were then not — None arrived or departed.
Then were not Brahma, Vishnu or Shiva: None other than the Sole Lord was visible.
Neither existed then female or male, or caste and birth —
None suffering and joy received.
Unknowable Himself was She the source of all utterance;
Himself the unknowable unmanifested.
As it pleased Him, the world She created;
Without a supporting power the expanse She sustained.
Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva She created, and to maya-attachment gave increase.
To a rare one was the Master's Word imparted.
Herself She made His Law operative and watched over it:
Creating continents, spheres and nether worlds, the hidden She made manifest.
Creating the universe Herself, He has remained unattached.
The humane Lord made the holy center [the human being].
Combining air, water and fire She created the citadel of body.
The Creator fashioned the Nine Abodes [of sensation];
In the Tenth [the Sahasrara] is lodged the Lord, unknowable, limitless.
The illimitable Lord in Her unattributed state of void assumed might;
He, the infinite One, remaining detached:
Displaying His power, She Herself from the void created inanimate things.
From the unattributed void were created air and water.
Raising creation, She dwells as Monarch in the citadel body.
Lord! In the fire and water [of the body] exists Thy light;
In Thy state of void was lodged the power of creation.

Let the mutterings that I do,
With the sacrifice in my soul.
Become chanting of your name,
Let all my movements become thine Mudhras,
Let my travel become perambulations around thee,
Let the act of eating and drinking become fire sacrifice to thee,
Let my act of sleeping becomes salutations to you ,
And let all actions of pleasure of mine,
Become parts of thine worship.

Soundarya Lahari Verse 27
262) Sri Turya
— The Fourth.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"The state of sleep is incapacity of discrimination, namely illusion. One says," I slept happily, I know nothing," thus one says from recollection. By this saying, three modifications of avidya are indicated; namely ignorance, egoism, and happiness; sound sleep is that state in which these three exist....
Turya state is the state in which the experience called Suddhavidya is acquired and the result of discrimination of these (lower) three states and enjoyers thereof. The Spandasastra says," He who perceives the object of attainment in the three abodes and the subject thereof, though he participates in it, yet remains unpolluted."Varadaraja slaso says," Turya is the supreme abode, the participation in that state produces astonishment. Though there are different states, namely waking, dreaming, and sleeping, [real] enjoyment exists only in the fourth one. Ecstasy in the fourth state should be allowed like oil to permeate the other three."The jiva is called he who is merged in the great causal body (mahakarana.) Devi is called Turya because She is both the individual and collective form of this state.

The means of attaining the state of turya is set forth by a Siva-sutra (I. 15.)"He should project his mind by means of his own thought." (The commentary on this is as follows): "Abandoning pranayama and other uncertain gross means, 'by his own thought,' by his own knowledge, by the internal experience of astonishment, i.e. by the aid of turya, extinguishing the notion of body, etc. In consequence of merging himself [into the fourth state], this he should enter."

Or, Turya is a deity according to the Saktirahasya as described in the Sruti (Man. Up. 7)," They consider the fourth calmness, non-dual."Acarya (Saun. La. v. 97)," Thou art Turiya, unlimited mystery, difficult of attainment."The Turiya-siddhanta says," O fair-faced one, as She is a pleasure to Turiyanandanatha [a certain teacher] Devi is known by the name Turiya." "

R. Ananthakrishna Sastry, The Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, 1988, p. 143.
"The highest state is Turiya-Turiya, wherein Akhandaikarasa disappears like the dust of the clearing nut (Kataka) used for clearing water. This is the Arupa or the formless state and is beyond cognition" (Vedanta in Daily Life, pp. 211-14). The Kaivalyopanishad says that the states of consciousness are appearances of one Brahman, and that one who knows this is freed from all bonds (Verse, 17)."

www.swami-krishnananda.org/
263) Sri Sarvavastha Vivarjita
— Beyond all states. She is one with those who are beyond all those states mentioned above.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"There is a fifth state of jivas but as it has no special name and as it is beyond the turiya state, it is simply called, 'beyond turiya;' ... Because when a man transcends the fourth state, he necessarily transcends the other three. Vivarjita transcending: Vi, entirely, that is one does not return to the other states. This state also has two aspects, the individual and the collective. This fifth state arises from firmness in the fourth one (turiya.) For it is said," The supreme state which is beyond turiya is only to be attained through a firm hold on the turiya."Varadaraja, the commentator also states," The aspirant, by much familiarity with the fourth state attains the state which transcends the fourth one, and become equal to Siva who is the Soul of the Universe and who is pure Absolute Bliss."

There are three sutras (in the Siva-sutras, III. 27, 28 and 29): describing the nature of the man who has attained the fifth state."His physical life is a religious observance; his conversation is japa; his giving is knowledge of the Self."His physical life is religious and not worldly (lit. Trifling) because it is the means of worshipping Siva by searching into his own soul. So Bhattotpala desires physical life in these words: "Let me have this body invigorated by the nectar of pure Sakti manifested in me, for the sake of worshipping Thee."His random conversation is japa, because his mind has grasped the truth... . Krasnadasa says."The direct experience of Atman described above as consciousness (caitanya) itself, is the knowledge which is his gift and which, with promptness, he freely gives." "

R. A. Sastry, Lalita-Sahasranama
The Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, 1988, p. 144.
265) Sri Brahmarupa
— Of the Form of Sri Brahma, the Creator.

Visnu Purana(source: R. A. Sastry, Lalita-Sahasranama, The Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, 1988.)
267) Sri Govindarupini
— Of the form of Sri Vishnu, the Sustainer.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
In the form of Govinda (govindarupini.) In the Harivamsa, Narada says," The first portion of prakrti, the famous Devi called Uma. [The second one] the manifested Visnu, the All-Pervading, Protector of the Universe, is known as woman."

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
She creates the universe, She protects, She destroys what She protects at the end of the cycle.
She it is who in Her three forms bewilders the universe. Brahma, united with Her, creates the universe.
Vishnu, united with Her, protects. Rudra, united with Her, destroys.
She binds the whole universe and holds bewildered by the noose of illusion, O king, by the firm noose of 'I' and 'Mine.'
Yogins released from worldly attachments, desiring liberation and seeking after emancipation, worship the beneficent Devi alone, the Ruler of the Universe.

Oh, mother mine,
Gods like Indra and brahma,
Who have drunk deep the nectar divine,
Which removes the cruel aging and death,
Do die and disappear.
But Shambu thy consort,
Who swallowed poison that is potent,
Does never die,
Because of the greatness,
Of thine ear studs.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
How can ye reject [45] the faith in Allah.
Seeing that ye were without life, and He gave you life;
Then will He cause you to die, and will again bring you to life;
And again to Him will ye return.
It is He Who hath created for you all things that are on earth;
Moreover His design comprehended the heavens,
For He gave order and perfection to the seven firmaments;
And of all things He hath perfect knowledge.

surah 2: 28-9 Al Baqarah (The Heifer)

"45. He brought you into being. The mysteries of life and death are in His hands. When you die on this earth, that is not the end. You were of Him and you must return to Him. Look around you and realize your own dignity: it is from Him. The immeasurable depths of space above and around may stagger you. They are part of His plan. What you have imagined as the seven firmaments (and any other scheme you may construct) bears witness to His design of order and perfection, for His knowledge (unlike yours) is all-comprehending. And yet will you deliberately reject or obscure or deaden the faculty of Faith which has been put into you."

Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Holy Qur'an, 1989.
He who has found The Mother [Tao],
And thereby understands her sons [things of the world],
And having understood the sons, still keeps to its Mother,
Will be free from danger throughout his lifetime.
Close the mouth, shut the doors [of cunning and desire],
And to the end of life there will be peace without toil.
Open the mouth, meddle with affairs, and to the end of life there will be no salvation.

Tao Te Ching 52 (Lao-Tzu)
"The Divine Mother also manifests in different faculties in the living creatures. She herself declares in Devi Bhagavata (3.6.8.1):

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
"[2] As fire is the direct cause of cooking, so Knowledge, and not any other form of discipline, is the direct cause of Liberation; for Liberation cannot be attained without Knowledge.

Fire etc. — Though other articles, such as water, pots, and pans, are necessary, it is the fire that actually cooks a meal.

Knowledge — Knowledge of Self.

Any other form of discipline — Such as practice of austerity and of rituals, the bestowing of gifts, and charity. The purpose of these disciplines is purification of the heart and creation of a mental condition that will be conducive to Self-Knowledge.

According to Vedanta the truth about man is that he is Brahman, or Infinite Spirit. The cause of his bondage and suffering is ignorance of his real nature. Knowledge destroys this ignorance and Self-Realization immediately follows. Spiritual disciplines purify the heart, train the aspirant in concentration, and thus create the necessary condition for the revelation of Knowledge, which always exists. Since the Self is by nature eternal and immortal, It cannot be the result of an antecedent cause. Knowledge, Liberation, Self, and Consciousness all denote the same spiritual experience. Knowledge is stated in the text to be the cause of Liberation only in the figurative sense. The attainment of Knowledge really means the rediscovery of Knowledge, which is never non-existent."

The Devi Gita, or Song of the Goddess, presents a grand vision of the
universe created, pervaded, and protected by a supremely powerful,
all-knowing, and wholly compassionate divine female. She is Mahadevi
or the Great Goddess, known to her most devoted followers as the
auspicious Mother-of-the-World (jagad-ambika, jagan-matr). Unlike the
ferocious and horrific Hindu goddesses such as Kali and Durga, the
World-Mother of the Devi Gita is benign and beautiful, though some of
her lesser manifestations may take on terrifying forms. And unlike
other beneficent divinities such as Parvati and Laksmi, she is
subject to no male consort.

This World-Mother is formally addressed as Bhuvanesvari, the"Ruler
of the Universe."She resides in her celestial paradise known as
Manidvipa, the Jeweled Island, situated at the topmost point of the
universe. From there, ever wakeful and alert, she observes the
troubles of the world, eager to intervene on behalf of her devotees.

While resting in her island home, she reclines on a sacred throne or
couch of remarkable design, composed of five pretas, ghosts or
corpses. The four legs are the lifeless bodies of Brahma, Visnu,
Rudra, and Isana (the later two being forms or aspects of Siva), and
the seat is the stretched-out corpse of Sadasiva (the eternal Siva).
This conception of Bhuvanesvari seated on her Panca-Pretasana (Seat
of Five Corpses), marvelously illustrated in Figure 10.1, page 286,
reveals her supreme sovereignty, especially over masculine
pretensions to cosmic power. Brahma, Visnu, and Siva are the three
male deities traditionally associated with creating, overseeing, and
destroying the universe. But here, as elements of Bhuvanesvari's
throne, they represent her latent cosmic energies, unconscious and
inert, residing under her feet until aroused by her desire. While
lounging on this couch at the beginning of creation, the Goddess
splits herself into two for the sake of her own pleasure or sport—one
half of her body becoming Mahesvara (Siva). In such manner she
dramatically demonstrates her superiority to all the male gods.

The Great Goddess is both wholly transcendent and fully immanent:
beyond space and time, she is yet embodied within all existent
beings; without form as pure, infinite consciousness (cit) ... She is
the universal, cosmic energy known as Sakti, and the psychophysical,
guiding force designated as the Kundalini (Serpent Power) resident
within each individual. She is eternal, without origin or birth, yet
she is born in this world in age after age, to support those who seek
her assistance. Precisely to provide comfort and guidance to her
devotees, she presents herself in the Devi Gita to reveal the truths
leading both to worldly happiness and to the supreme spiritual goals:
dwelling in her Jeweled Island and mergence into her own perfect
being.

C. MacKenzie Brown, The Devi Gita: The Song of the Goddess
State University of New York Press (September 1998) pp. 1-2
296) Sri Anandinidhana
— Having neither Birth nor Death.
— Eternal.

Yours escorts divine,
Shout with concern at thee.
"Avoid the crown of Brahma,
You may hit your feet,
At the hard crown of Vishnu,
Who killed the ogre Kaidaba,
Avoid the crown of Indra",
When you get up and rush in a hurry,
To receive thine lord who comes to your place.

Sri Lalita Sahasranama
I, the Supreme Lord, have divided Myself into two forms.
One is Narayana the other is Gauri, The Mother of the universe.
So My supreme form is known to neither the Devas,
Nor the Rsis, because I am One.
I am Devi and Vishnu.
Kurma Purana(source: R. A. Sastry, Lalita-Sahasranama, The Adyar Library and Research Centre, Madras, 1988.)

201. Sad gathi prada - She who gives us good path.

202. Sarveshwari - She who is goddess of all.

203. Sarva mayi - She who is everywhere.

204. Sarva manthra swaroopini - She who is personification of all manthras.

205. Sarva yanthrathmika - She who is represented by all yantras (Talisman).

206. Sarva thanthra roopa - She who is also goddess of all Thanthras which is a method of worship.

207. Manonmani - She who is the result of mental thoughts of thoughts and actions.

208. Maaheswari - She who is the consort of Maheswara (Lord of everything).

209. Mahaa devi - She who is the consort of Mahe Deva(God of all gods).

210. Maha lakshmi -"She who takes the form of Mahalaksmi, the goddess of wealth."

211. Mrida priya - She who is dear to Mrida (a name of Lord Shiva).

212. Maha roopa - She who is very big.

213. Maha poojya - She who is fit to be worshipped by great people.

214. Maha pathaka nasini - She who destroys the major misdemeanors.

215. Maha maya - She who is the great illusion.

216. Maha sathva - She who is greatly knowledgeable.

217. Maha sakthi - She who is very strong.

218. Maha rathi - She who gives great happiness.

219. Maha bhoga - She who enjoys great pleasures.

220. Mahaiswarya - She who has great wealth.

221. Maha veerya - She who has great valour.

222. Maha bala - She who is very strong.

223. Maha bhudhi - She who is very intelligent.

224. Maha sidhi - She who has great super natural powers.

225. Maha yogeswareswari - She who is goddess of great yogis.

226. Mahathanthra - She who has the greatest Thantra sasthras.

227. Mahamanthra - She who has the greatest manthras.

228. Mahayanthra - She who has the greatest yanthras.

229. Mahasana - She who has the greatest seat.

230. Maha yaga kramaradhya - She who should be worshipped by performing great sacrifices( Bhavana yaga and Chidagni Kunda yaga).

231. Maha bhairava poojitha - She who is being worshipped by the great Bhairava.

232. Maheswara Mahakalpa Maha thandava sakshini - She who will be the witness to the great dance to be performed by the great lord at the end of the worlds.

233. Maha kamesha mahishi - She who is the prime consort of the great Kameshwara.

234. Maha tripura sundari - She who is the beauty of the three great cities.

235. Chatustatyupacharadya - She who should be worshipped with sixty four offerings.

236. Chathu sashti kala mayi - She who has sixty four sections.

237. Maha Chathusashti kodi yogini gana sevitha - She who is being worshipped by the sixty four crore yoginis in the nine different charkas.

238. Manu Vidya - She who is personification of Sri Vidya as expounded by Manu.

239. Chandra Vidya - She who is personification of Sri Vidya as expounded by moon.

240. Chandra mandala Madhyaga - She who is in the center of the universe around the moon.

241. Charu Roopa - She who is very beautiful.

242. Charu Hasa - She who has a beautiful smile.

243. Charu Chandra Kaladhara - She who wears the beautiful crescent.

244. Charachara Jagannatha - She who is the Lord of all moving and immobile things.

245. Chakra Raja Nikethana - She who lives in the middle of Sree Chakra.

246. Parvathi - She who is the daughter of the mountain.

247. Padma nayana - She who has eyes like the lotus.

248. Padma raga samaprabha - She who shines as much as the Padma Raga jewel.

249. Pancha prethasana seena -"She who sits on the seat of five dead bodies ( these are Brahma , Vishnu, Rudra, Eesa and Sadasiva without their Shakthi(consort))."

250. Pancha brahma swaroopini - She who is personification of five brahmas ( they are the gods mentioned in the last name with their Shakthi).

251. Chinmayi - She who is the personification action in every thing.

252. Paramananda - She who is supremely happy.

253. Vignana Gana Roopini - She who is the personification of knowledge based on science.

254. Dhyana Dhyathru dhyeya roopa -"She who is personification of meditation, the being who meditates and what is being meditated upon."

255. Dharmadhrama vivarjitha - She who is beyond Dharma (justice) and Adharma (injustice).

256. Viswa roopa - She who has the form of the universe.

257. Jagarini - She who is always awake.

258. Swapanthi - She who is always in the state of dream.

259. Thaijasathmika - She who is the form of Thaijasa which is microbial concept.

260. Suptha - She who is in deep sleep.

261. Prangnathmika - She who is awake.

262. Thurya - She who is in trance.

263. Sarvavastha vivarjitha - She who is above all states.

264. Srishti karthri - She who creates.

265. Brahma roopa - She who is the personification of ultimate.

266. Gopthri - She who saves.

267. Govinda roopini - She who is of the form of Govinda.

268. Samharini - She who destroys.

269. Rudhra roopa - She who is of the form of Rudhra.

270. Thirodhana kari - She who hides herself from us.

271. Eeswari - She who is of the form of easwara.

272. Sadashivaa - She who is of the form of Sadashiva.

273. Anugrahada - She who blesses.

274. Pancha krithya parayana -"She who is engaged in the five duties of creation, existence, dissolving, disappearing, and blessing."

275. Bhanu mandala madhyastha - She who is in the middle of the sun's universe.

276. Bhairavi - She who is the consort of Bhairava.

277. Bhaga malini - She who is the goddess bhaga malini.

278. Padmasana - She who sits on a lotus.

279. Bhagavathi - She who is with all wealth and knowledge.

280. Padmanabha sahodari - She who is the sister of Vishnu.

281. Unmesha nimishotpanna vipanna bhuvanavali - She who creates and destroys the universe by opening and closing of her eye lids.

282. Sahasra seersha vadana - She who has thousands of faces and heads.

283. Saharakshi - She who has thousands of eyes.

284. Sahasra path - She who has thousands of feet.

285. Aabrahma keeda janani - She has created all beings from worm to Lord Brahma.

286. Varnashrama vidhayini - She who created the four fold division of society.

287. Nijangna roopa nigama - She who gave orders which are based on Vedas.

288. Punyapunya phala pradha - She who gives compensation for sins and good deeds.

289. Sruthi seemantha kula sindhoori kritha padabjha dhooliga - She whose dust from her lotus feet is the sindhoora fills up in the parting of the hair of the Vedic mother.

290. Sakalagama sandoha shukthi samputa maukthika - She who is like the pearl in the pearl holding shell of Vedas.

291. Purashartha pradha -"She who gives us the purusharthas of Charity, assets, joy and moksha."

292. Poorna - She who is complete.

293. Bhogini - She who enjoys pleasures.

294. Bhuvaneshwari - She who is the Goddess presiding over the universe.

295. Ambika - She who is The Mother of the world.

296. Anadhi nidhana - She who does not have either end or beginning.

297. Hari brahmendra sevitha -"She who is served by Gods like Vishnu,Indra and Brahma."

298. Naarayani - She who is like Narayana.

299. Naada roopa - She who is the shape of music (sound).

300. Nama roopa vivarjitha - She who does not have either name or shape.

www.starsai.com/lalithambigai-goddess-lalithasahasranamam.html

"For the ultimate and real task of philosophy, according to Indian thought, and to such classical Occidental philosophers as Plato, transcends the power and task of reason. Access to truth demands a passage beyond the compass of ordered thought. And by the same token: the teaching of transcendental truth cannot be by logic, but only by pregnant paradox and by symbol and image. Where a carefully reasoning thinker, progressing step by step, would be forced to halt (out of breath, as it were, at the confines of the stratosphere, panting for lack of oxygen, swooning with pulmonary and cardiac distress) the mind can still go on. The mind can soar and enter the supernal sphere on the wings of symbols, which represents the Truth-beyond-the-pairs- of-opposites, eluding by those wings the bird-net of the basic principle of the incompatibility of opposites. For what"transcendent"means is the transcending (among other things) of the bounding and basic logical laws of the human mind.

"Transcendent"means that a principle is in effect that comprehends the identity of apparently incompatible elements, representing a union of things which on the logical level exclude each other. Transcendent truth comprehends an ever- recurrent"coincidence of opposites" (coincidentia oppositorum) and is characterized, therefore, by an everlasting dialectical process. The secret identity of incompatibles is mockingly disclosed through a constant transformation of things into their antitheses — antagonism being but the screen of a cryptic identity. Behind the screen the contending forces are in harmony, the world- dynamism quiescent, and the paradox of a union of contrary traits and forces stands realized in toto; for where the One and the Many are identical, eternal Being is known, which is at once the source and the force of the abundant diversity of the world's perpetual Being.

Though called the true and only Being (sat), this Transcendent is known also as non-Being (asat); for it is that ineffable point"Wherefrom words turn back, together with the mind, not having attained"— as birds flying to reach the sun are compelled to return. And yet, on the other hand: "He who knows that bliss of Brahman has no fear of anything at all. Such a one, verily, the thought does not torment: 'Why did I not do the right? Why did I do evil?' He who knows thus, extricates himself from both of these questions, and secures the Self for himself by setting it free."1"

"In Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism, the ultimate goal — unity with Brahman or the peace of Nirvana — cannot be gained through ritual or meritorious work. Offerings and ritual are fruitful only for gaining the temporary bliss of heaven; but life in heaven is temporary. Soon enough, the soul returns to a body and to suffering in the world. Rather, the Upanishads and sutras teach that the path to the ultimate goal requires the inner discipline and realization that comes through meditation."

World Scripture, International Religious Foundation,Paragon House Publishing, 1995, p. 613

"According to traditional belief, the fulfillment of these prescribed rites and devotions will bring the devotee after death to either the"heaven of the ancestors" (pitr-loka) or the higher"sphere of truth" (Satya-loka.) But such pleasurable results are not regarded by the adept of Vedanta as important or even desirable; they are the mere by-products of the discipline, stopping-stations along the way, in which he is no longer interested. They are still within the worlds of birth, and represent no more than a continuance of the round of being (samsara), though indeed an extremely blissful episode of the round, enduring, it is said, for innumerable millenniums. Rather than the beatitudes of heaven, what the Vedantist desires is to see through and past the illusory character of all existence whatsoever, no less that of the higher spheres than that of the gross terrestrial plane. He has sacrificed completely all thoughts of the enjoyment of the fruits of his good deeds; and rewards that may be accruing to him as a result of his perfect devotion he surrenders to the personal divinity that he serves. For he knows that it is not himself who acts, but the Spiritual Person dwelling omnipresent within himself and all things, and to whom he, as worshiper, is devoted utterly — the God who is the Self (atman) within the heart."

"In peace you have the awareness of your innermost spiritual reality, which is harmonizing and unifying. Through this, your Self becomes an avenue to God, to ultimate reality. As you know your Self, you enter into communion with the divine. When the inner channel of communication is open, you gain a new, profound experience of the inner flow of indescribable joy. Your whole being is flooded with the light and love of the infinite. You feel you are in the loving embrace of God.

This silence can be of two types: static and dynamic. Static silence means you enter into communion with the infinite more and more deeply. You want to abide permanently in the incomprehensible, transcendental peace of the absolute. However, dynamic silence is a more balanced achievement.

In dynamic silence, you also enter into silent communion with the infinite. Yet, you offer your whole being, your mind, your emotions, your senses, and your body as a channel of expression of the creative energy of the absolute. Inwardly you enter into silent communion with the infinite, while outwardly you allow the creative power of God to flow freely through you. Your whole being becomes dynamic and creative. It is not exclusive of living in the world. It is inclusive of the whole of life.

As a result, you come out of meditation and look at the world with new eyes. You deal with people; you go to work; you carry on your thinking and feeling as a transmuted instrument in the hands of God. Inwardly there is profound silence. Outwardly there is the performance of activities as an instrument of the divine. The activities of life do not disturb your inner silence, for all your activities are performed for the glory of God."

God Siva is all and in all, one without a second, the Supreme Being and only Absolute Reality. He is Pati, our Lord, immanent and transcendent. To create, preserve, destroy, conceal and reveal are His five powers. Aum.

BHASHYA

God Siva is a one being, yet we understand Him in three perfections: Absolute Reality, Pure Consciousness and Primal Soul. As Absolute Reality, Siva is unmanifest, unchanging and transcendent, the Self God, timeless, formless and spaceless. As Pure Consciousness, Siva is the manifest primal substance, pure love and light flowing through all form, existing everywhere in time and space as infinite intelligence and power. As Primal Soul, Siva is the five-fold manifestation: Brahma, the creator; Vishnu, the preserver; Rudra, the destroyer; Maheshvara, the veiling Lord, and Sadashiva, the revealer. He is our personal Lord, source of all three worlds. Our divine father-mother protects, nurtures and guides us, veiling Truth as we evolve, revealing it when we are mature enough to receive God's bountiful grace. God Siva is all and in all, great beyond our conception, a sacred mystery that can be known in direct communion. Yea, when Siva is known, all is known. The Vedas state: "That part of Him which is characterized by tamas is called Rudra. That part of Him which belongs to rajas is Brahma. That part of Him which belongs to sattva is Vishnu."Aum Namah Sivaya."

S. S. Subramuniyaswami, April 28, 1999 (Himalayan Academy, 1998,

"GURDAWAARAA SPEAKS

That vessel alone is pure, which is pleasing to Him.
The filthiest vessel does not become pure, simply by being washed.
Through the Gurdwaaraa, one obtains intuitive understanding.
By being washed through this Gate, it becomes pure.
The Lord Himself sets the standards to differentiate between the dirty and the pure.
Do not think that you will automatically find a place of rest hereafter.
According to the actions one has committed, so does the mortal become (sggs 730).

Gurdwaaraa is a very sweet name; which appears to have been derived from the word Guru Duaaraa or Gur Duaaraa as used in the Gurbani (Sri Guru Granth Sahib, SGGS). Thus, the word Gurdwara consists of two terms namely Guru and Dwaaraa. As the Gurbani reveals, the first term represents the Self, God, and Guru as being one and the same. The second term Dwaaraa means door or gate. The integration of these two terms provide us with a beautiful meaning to the word Gurdwaaraa: "The Guru's Door or the Guru's Teaching", which is"The Doorway to Waheguru" (Self-Realization). Again, as the Gurbani asserts, the Teaching of a true Guru is nothing but the expression of God Himself. Thus, all these terms such as"The Doorway to Waheguru"," The Guru's Door", or"The Guru's Teaching"Are virtually synonymous.

Hayu aapayu bol na jaandaa mai kahiyaa sabh hukamyu jeeyu: By myself, I do not even know how to speak; I speak all that God commands (sggs 763).

Now, after having understood the proper meaning of Gurdwaaraa, imagine, how wonderful it would be if a Gurdwaaraa could speak, reveal the Lord's mystery, and secrets that people always seek! The things it would say will include the following:

"Dear Man, I am the Guru's Teaching (i.e., Guru's Door), through which I am your Doorway to Infinite Consciousness. Come, and approach me with all devotion, because devotion to the Guru's Teaching is fire that burns the ignorance. I am within the cave of your heart. I am your bridge between the earth plane and the spiritual realm. I am your link between matter and Spirit, bondage and liberation, attachment and freedom, falsehood and Truth, ignorance and knowledge, ephemeral and eternal, sorrow and bliss, real and unreal...."

"Dear Sibling of Destiny, the purpose of your human form is Self- Realization (opening of the Tenth Gate). The Lord placed the soul to the cave of your body, and blew the breath of life-force into it. He fashioned your body and revealed the nine gates to you; but He kept the Tenth gate hidden. Come to me, and the mystery of this Tenth Gate will be revealed to you."

Gurduaarai laaiy bhaavnee iknaa dasvaa duaar dikhaaiyaa: Through the Gurdwaaraa, some are blessed with loving faith, and the Tenth Door is revealed to them (sggs 922).

"Dear Seeker, everything exists in the Infinite Consciousness, Waheguru. This undivided Consciousness exists in all, inside and outside. This pure Awareness is Truth-Consciousness-Bliss. Know that you are this Immaculate Consciousness. Due to spiritual ignorance, your deluded mind veils the true nature of the Self and creates an illusory appearance (division or diversity). However, the mind of a noble or an enlightened man does not move from this One Reality. Come, inquire and reflect (Vichaar) on the Shabad. You will attain the intuitive understanding."

Guru Duaarai hoyi sojhee paaisee.....:Through the Gurdwaaraa, one obtains intuitive understanding. By being washed through this Gate, it becomes pure. The Lord Himself sets the standards to differentiate between the dirty and the pure (sggs 730).

"Dear Soul-Bride, your true Husband is none other than the Creator Himself (Kartaa Purakh). Due to the false love for material world (ignorance), you have separated yourself from your Beloved Husband Lord. Come to me; I will counsel you and prepare you for the celestial wedding with your True Beloved."

Guru Duaarai hamraa viaah ji hoyaa jaa sahu miliaa taa jaaniaa....:When I was married within the Gurdwaaraa, I met my Husband Lord, and I came to know Him. His Shabad is pervading the three worlds; when my ego was quieted, my mind became happy (sggs 351).

"Dear Friend, know that this present age of material consciousness is characterized by quarrel, disagreement, cheating, deceit, cynicism, hypocrisy, duplicity, misinformation, etc.. We are short-lived; not very intelligent and fortunate, perpetually disturbed and agitated by anxieties. In addition, your mind is ever flickering, turbulent, swift, restless, obstinate, and so strong that it often overcomes even one's own intelligence. The most direct and practical method to reach the perfection of God Consciousness in this present age is the practice of love and devotion to God (Bhagti). One who engages in loving transcendental service, he attains the Lord. The true spiritual wisdom is the love of the Self. I will create in you the faith, love and devotion. I will open to you a world of Divine inspiration. Come and adore the Timeless Lord with peace, wisdom, and self control"

..... Bhgti bhaav maarag bikhraa Gur Duaarai....: O my beloved friend, dedicate yourself to the devotional worship of your Husband Lord. Serve your Guru constantly, and obtain the wealth of the Naam. Dedicate yourself to the worship of your Husband Lord; this is pleasing to your Beloved Husband. If you walk in accordance with your own will, then your Husband Lord will not be pleased with you. This path of loving devotional worship is very difficult; how rare are those who find it, through the Gurdwaaraa. Says Nanak, that one, upon whom the Lord casts His Glance of Grace, links his consciousness to the worship of the Lord (sggs 440).

"Dear Aspirant, the entire creation is continually engaged in singing Lord's glories. As such, singing His glories is said to be the true eternal faith. All the religions are said to be in the singing of the Lord's Glorious Praises. You are given the tongue for this very specific reason. The selfless praises of God is capable of swiftly cleansing the mental conditioning (false ego), leading the mind to complete purification. Therefore, in this age of quarrel and hypocrisy the only means of deliverance is chanting the holy Name of the Lord. There is no other way. Come and sing God's praises, this alone is the Attal or eternal Dharma"

Gur Duaarai Hari Kirtan suneeai Satgur bhet Hari jas mukh bhaneeai...:At the Gurdwaaraa, the Kirtan of the Lord's Praises are sung. Meeting with the True Guru, one chants the Lord's Praises. The True Guru eradicates sorrow and suffering, and bestows honor in the Court of the Lord (sggs 1075).

"Dear Brother, you are filled with great grief, sorrow, and sin. Come to me, and I will listen to you until you are completely free from all pains of this finite life. You constantly crave for peace or happiness (Sukh). Consequently, all your efforts and activities are aimed at gaining happiness and attaining freedom from sorrows. All our endeavors are motivated by impulse to seek out joy-giving things and circumstances, and avoid any sorrow-giving things and situations. But, unfortunately, you are trying to find it in wrong places and false objects. I will show you the source of real and eternal peace. Come."

Jis no kathaa sunaaihi aapnee si Gurduaarai sukh paavahe: You cause to listen to Your sermon, find peace in the Gurdwaaraa (sggs 919).
Giaan dhyaan le samsar rahai. Gurmukh ek virlaa ko lahai. Jis no de kirpaa te sukh paae. Guru Duaarai aakh sunaae: With Divine wisdom and meditation, one abides in the state of evenness. How rare are those who, as Gurmukh, attain the One Lord. They alone find peace, whom the Lord blesses with His Grace. In the Gurdwaaraa, they speak and hear of the Lord (sggs 930).
Dear Companion, your unceasing thirst of Vaasnaas (desires) makes you wander and roam around in ten directions. As a result, your beautiful natural robes of humility, forgiveness, and sweet speech are torn apart. In lust, anger, greed, attachment, false ego, and jealousy, your mind has become restless. As soon as you attain Shabad Surti (Shabad Consciousness), your thirst will be quenched by drinking in this Ambrosial Nectar. Come, and quench your thirst, once for ever."

Guru Duaarai devsee tikhaa nivaarai soi: Through the Gurdwaaraa, He gives (the Ambrosial Nectar of Shabad), and quenches the thirst (sggs 933).

"Dear Friend, The Lord's Naam or Shabad is the creator of everything. To forsake Naam is death. You have invited death by forsaking Him. Without the Naam, one does not find God, and his life wastes away in vain. The Lord is True, and True is His Bani. Through the Naam, you can merge with Him. This Naam dwells deep within the nucleus of all beings. There is no place without this Naam. Meditation on the Naam is the true Dharma. Of all the religions, the best religion is to repeat God's name and do pious deeds. So come, and focus your consciousness on it."

Moorkhaa sir moorakh hai ji mane naahee naayu. Gur Duaarai naayu paayiai bin satgur pallai na paai: The most foolish of the foolish are those who do not believe in the Name. Through the Gurdwaaraa, the Name is obtained. Without the True Guru, it is not received (sggs 1015).

Devan vaale kai hath daat hai Guru Duaarai paai... Jat sat sanjam Naam hai vin naavai nirmal na hoi. Poorai bhaag Naam man vasai Shabad milaavaa hoi: In the Gurdwaaraa, it (Naam) is received..... The Name of the Lord is abstinence, truthfulness, and self-restraint. Without the Name, no one becomes pure. Through perfect good fortune, the Naam comes to abide within the mind. Through the Shabad, we merge into Him (sggs 33).

"Dear Disciple of God, in order to realize the Self, the first process is to surrender to your Totality (Existence-Awareness-Bliss) within. The surrender is to renounce your limited intellect, material cleverness, bondage, illusion that"I am"This body, pride and arrogance (doership), bad association, past habit patterns, material lust, expectations and desires, spiritual ignorance, duality, wickedness, false concepts, and addiction to senses, followed by dedication of the mind and head to God. Thus, surrender is your false ego bowing down to Waheguru, the Source. To put it otherwise, surrender is to discharge your river of separateness into the ocean of Infinite Consciousness, losing your notions of limitations. Without such total surrender, one can never completely abide in the Absolute Reality. Therefore, come and take refuge in the Lord's feet (His Naam or Shabad) and then He will enjoy you. This you must win by selfless love, not by material logic or philosophical speculations."

"Dear Mortal, I am crafted in spiritual art. My pinnacles point toward the peaks of spirituality. My pillars (Shabad) make statements that will never shake and weaken. The fluttering of my flag (Nishaan Sahib) heralds the fact that, as the wind is felt not seen, so is the victory of Good over Evil. My dome showers Divine inspiration from all ends of the cosmos; sit under it and get soaked. Like a perennial stream, the Ambrosial Nectar (Amrit) of immortality overflows from my Shabad; drink it in. The vibratory transcendental sound from selfless Kirtan of my Shabad drives away impure thoughts, just as the lightening pierces the darkness. In my celestial stillness, meditate on the Lord's Naam within, let your mind silently rest in peace and reflect upon the secrets of the Self. The Divine Enlightenment through the Light of the Shabad comes to you every time you contemplate on it. Thus, the real Gurdwaaraa is realized only through a change in the inner consciousness. No experience is greater than being in the presence of Eternal Satguru (SGGS) — your very soul."

Jaab lag Shabad na bhedeeyai kiyu sohai Gur Duaar: Until the soul has been pierced through with the Shabad, how can she look beautiful at Gurdwaaraa — God's Court? (sggs 19).

Thus speaks the Gurdwaaraa — the Guru's Door or the Guru's Teaching: the Doorway to Waheguru! If all of the above do not take place, then it's not a Gurdwaaraa, even though our ego-self may dare call it as such. In short, Gurdwaaraa is where one realizes God.

Harimandar seyee aakheeai jithahu Hari jaataa: That alone is said to be the Lord's temple, where the Lord is realized (sggs 953)."

Tara Singh, Reflections on Gurbani, www.gurbani.org/

"According to the thinking and experience of India, the knowledge of changing things does not conduce to a realistic attitude; for such things lack substantiality, they perish. Neither does it conduce to an idealistic outlook; for the inconsistencies of things in flux continually contradict and refute each other. Phenomenal forms are by nature delusory and fallacious. The one who rests on them will be disturbed. They are merely the particles of a vast universal illusion which is wrought by the magic of Self-forgetfulness, supported by ignorance, and carried forward by the deceived passions. Naive unawareness of the hidden truth of the Self is the primary cause of all the misplaced emphases, inappropriate attitudes, and consequent self-torments of this auto-intoxicated world."

This is Maya, by which the Lord is forgotten; emotional attachment and love of duality well up (sggs 921). Those who do not understand the nature of sin and virtue are attached to duality; they wander around deluded (sggs 110).

Doubt comes from greed, emotional attachment and the corruption of Maya. Freed from doubt, one realizes the One Lord alone (sggs 736).

The pure Consciousness is the substratum of everything in the universe. We are this pure Awareness. When we try to give this Awareness name and form, the trouble arises. And that trouble is the movement of the mind (thoughts) manifesting in the notion of division, diversity, or two-ness (duality); which gives rise to the phenomenal world of names and forms. This is also called mental conditioning. Thus, the mind conditioned by the perception of duality sees diversity, which, in turn, hides the Reality. To put it in other words, by associating with the duality, one loses Divine understanding. This loosening of Divine understanding gives rise to spiritual ignorance so much talked about in the scriptures.

Tin toon visrahi ji doojai bhaayee: O Lord, those who are in love with duality forget You (sggs 160).

Doojee maya jagat chit vaas: The duality of Maya dwells in the consciousness of the people of this material world (sggs 223).

Haumai moh upjai sansaraa: Out of egotism and attachment, the Universe is born (sggs 1057).

The manifestation of name and form is the play of this universe, also known as the Lord's Leelaa (Cosmic Dance). This Leelaa exists as the product of the reflection in the Consciousness. We are all part of this Leelaa, which is Mithiyaa or transitory (neither real nor unreal). In this play, we experience our own Vaasnaas (undigested desires). Some of these experiences are the repetition of the old experiences, and some are new. It is our false"I"Who is the transitory actor in this Leelaa.

Pekh pekh re kasumbh kee leelaa raach maach tin hoonlayu:Watching, watching the transitory world-drama (Leelaa), you are embroiled and enmeshed in them, and you laugh with delight. The string of life is wearing thin, day and night, and you have done nothing for your soul (sggs 206).

Ih parpanch paarbrahm kee leelaa bichrat aan na hoyee. Mithiyaa bharam ar supan manorath sat padaarath jaaniyaa: This manifested world is the Leela of the Supreme Lord; reflecting upon it, we find that it is not different from Him. False (Mitthiyaa) are doubts and dream objects — man believes them to be true (sggs 485).
Imagine sitting in a theater, watching all sorts of pictures projected on the screen. Some of these pictures are of rain, murder, gunshots, romance, and so on. When the movie is over, the screen neither becomes wet from the rain, nor has blood from the murder, nor bullet holes from the gunshots, nor emotions from the romance. The screen itself is clean and unchanging; for the projections are unreal, and the screen is real.

The mind is the creation that arises out of the Self. We are this screen. All the manifestation we see on this screen is the projection of our Vaasnaas (past habits or undigested desires) that fall across our mind. This projection of Vassnaas causes us to identify ourselves as the projected watcher of the movie. The problem starts the moment we run after the projections thinking they are real. With this delusion comes the perception that the seer is different than the seeing and seen. But in reality, the"seer"," seeing"And"seen"Are one and the same.

In simple terms, the duality is our mental conditioning (i.e., doubts, fear, and worry, etc.), which veils the Self. As a result, one thinks himself"other"than Spirit. He thinks himself separate from the Divine. This is the notion of two-ness. Thus, according to Gurbani, the duality is nothing but the love (Bhaav) of two-ness (Doojaa). This is Maya, with her dualistic principle of delusion or the law of opposites.

Eh Maya jit Har visrai moh upjai bhaau dooja laya: This is Maya, by which the Lord is forgotten; emotional attachment and love of duality well up (sggs 921).

The Gurbani asserts that whoever has belly is Maya stricken. What it means is that to breathe at all is to breathe in Maya. To put it otherwise, to be born in a physical body is to be subject to Maya. The children from their very birth are exposed to this cosmic delusion and grow up under the influence of its three qualities: Rajo, Tamo, and Sato.

Kiyun sukh paavai dooai teeai: How can one find peace, through duality and the three qualities? (sggs 1023)

Except the wise or godly souls, man's physical existence is a clue that his soul is in ignorance and has not realized his true identity as formless Spirit. The Waheguru gives man the delusion first, and not Himself. Why is it so? Because if He gives Himself first then their will be no Leelaa! To carry on His dramatic Leelaa, the Lord does not give Himself first. Instead, He covers Himself with the veil of duality to keep His Cosmic play going. In this Leelaa, the man plays hide-and-seek with Him and tries to seek Him as the Grand Prize of his life. Those who are sincere in their self-efforts win this Grand Prize, while rest just lick the dust.

Here some may feel puzzled and query as to why does God first give Himself to very few or rare ones, while to most of us He first gives delusion. Is He partial? No, He is not. It is the individual's Karmic pattern (Karma) created by his own use and misuse of his free will that determines his mental state. Thus, all contrasts, contradictions, and relativity are the unfoldments of our own mind.

Jehe karam kammaayi tehaa hoisee: According to the actions one has committed, so does he become (sggs 730).

It is clear that the illusive Maya creates duality in our mind. Consequently, depending upon our mental state or depending upon where we fit in this Cosmic Game, we begin to respond emotionally. According to our liking or disliking, we view the pairs of opposites as either pleasurable or unpleasurable. Succumbing to the unceasing impulses of the likes and dislikes, the Viveka (discriminative power) and the free choice of our soul get overwhelmed; plunging us into delusive ignorance.

Man vas doota durmat doyi: The mind is in the control of evil passions, evil intent, and duality (sggs 222).

Eh Maya jit Har visrai moh upjai bhaau dooja laya:This is Maya, by which the Lord is forgotten; emotional attachment and love of duality well up (sggs 921).

Under the spell of delusion, the non- apprehension of God by an individual (ego) is called ignorance at the microcosmic level. However, the total non-apprehension of God by all Jivas or beings is called ignorance at the macrocosmic level, which is also called Maya (illusion). In other words, Maya can be seen as totality of all Vasnaas born of self-ignorance. Each person creates its own world as a result of the individual's self-ignorance. The sum of Vasnas of all individual, born of self-ignorance, is called Maya; the universe or Jagat.

Mat bhoolahu maanukh jan Maya bharmaya: Do not be fooled, O mortal being, by the illusion of this Maya (sggs 812).

Mrig trisnaa jiyu jhootho ih jag dekhi taasi uth dhavai: Like dear's delusion this world is false, yet on beholding it the mortal runs after it (sggs).

Maayee Maya Chhall: O my mother, the Maya is deceitful (sggs 717).

From the perception of individuality (false ego) arises three walls namely senses-mind-intellect, which divide our consciousness (separation from the Self). These formidable walls make it very hard for us to gain a glimpse of our own pure, simple Self. This is the trap — the play of the mind. This is what the Gurbani calls ignorance, illusion, suffering, self-limitation, the cycle of birth and death, pains, mental agitation, foolishness, insanity, misery, sorrows, corruption, deception, animal mentality, evil nature, bad habits, wickedness, bondage, attachment, arrogance, falsehood," I, me, mine, your", and so on.

Lakh chayuraasee pher payiaa kaaman doojai bhaayi: The soul-bride in love with duality goes around the wheel of reincarnation, through 8.4 million incarnations (sggs 31).

Trai gun sabhaa dhaat hai doojaa bhaayu vikaar:Everything under the influence of the three qualities shall perish; the love of duality is corrupting (sggs 33).

One exhibits this false consciousness under the sense of limited individuality grown out of his body-bound inclinations. Thus, our identification with the physical body creates non-apprehension of the Reality, which in turn, creates in us the misapprehension that we are finite beings. The doubt and duality thus created become screen between us and the Waheguru, the Infinite Consciousness.

This is the blind well of spiritual ignorance. The existence of a person deceived by the love of duality is like the life of a cursed and discarded bride. Like a wall of sand, day and night, she crumbles, and eventually, she breaks down altogether. Just as the silkworm weaves its cocoon and thus binds itself, the man fancies this world and gets caught in it. How can we remove this Doojaa Bhaav from within? With the mastery over five (pure yearning for wisdom, Shabad Vichaar or practice of inquiry, mental subtlety, abiding in truth, and total detachment) comes the cessation of the perception of duality within and outside. Then one abides and rejoices in one's own Self. This is the direct spiritual experience.

Koor gaye dubiddhaa nasee pooran sach bhare: Falsehood has vanished, duality has been erased, and they are totally overflowing with Truth (sggs 136).

With quieting or purification of the mind (removal of duality), we go back and link with our Source again; like the waves rise and then fall back into the ocean, like the one sky is reflected in thousands of water jugs, but when the jugs are broken, only the sky remains. This is called the vast or the highest understanding.

Think of a well with a bucket tied to a rope. The well is the Self, the bucket is our perception of individuality arising from duality, and the rope is our Vaasnaas. Suppose if we throw this bucket (false ego) in the Well (the Self) and discard the rope (Vaaasnaas), then what will happen? We will merge with the Homogeneous Oneness in which all is. The individuality (false ego) will cease to be.

The substratum of all waves is only One Ocean, of all rays is only One Sun, and of all bracelets is only one gold. Similarly, there is only One Reality (Ik Onkaar), which is substratum of everything. When This One is there, there is no false ego. When false ego is there, this One is absent. This is the secret.

Jab ham hote tab tum naahee ab tum hahu ham naahee: When I was, then You were not; now that You are, I am not (sggs 340).

Ultimately, in order to completely realize the Lord, one has to even go pass the notion of non-dualism. Our perception of the sky is that it is blue. However, this blueness of the sky is an optical illusion. Neither the sky is blue nor un-blue. The notion of dualism presupposes unity, and the non-dualism suggests dualism. However, the Lord is Notionlessness (Sunn Samaadhi), beyond all perceptions or thoughts! Yet this Eternal Being becomes veiled by the transient entity is the great illusion so much talked about in the scriptures.

Prathme tiyaagee hayumai preet....: First, I renounced my egotistical love of myself. Second, I renounced the ways of the world. Renouncing the three qualities (Maya), I look alike upon friend and enemy. And then, the fourth state of bliss (Truiyaa Avasthaa) was revealed to me by the Holy One (sggs 370).

According to Gurbani, only fools get deluded by their mental restlessness, who think that the perishable is imperishable. The truth is that Waheguru alone exists, rest is His transitory Leelaa. In that sense, the duality and egotism do not exist any more than water exists in the mirage. Therefore, the scriptures urge us to abandon our false concepts and notions which are not based on fact; and rest in the purified vision which is based on the Truth (Existence-Consciousness-Bliss).

Doojai lage pach muye moorakh andh gavaar.......:Attached to duality, the foolish, blind and stupid people waste away and die. Like worms, they live in manure, and in it, they die over and over again. O Nanak, those who are attuned to the Naam are dyed in the color of truth; they take on the intuitive peace and poise of the Guru. The color of devotional worship does not fade away; they remain intuitively absorbed in the Lord (sggs 85).

In the purified vision, there is neither doer nor enjoyer. On the contrary, in the unpurified vision there is division or duality. When the mind turns towards the truth, it abandons its identification with In the purified vision, there is neither doer nor enjoyer. On the contrary, in the unpurified vision there is division or duality. When the mind turns towards the truth, it abandons its identification with the body and attains the Divine. With the departure of all notions (duality as well as non-duality), one comes to abide in the Indweller of his heart, the Waheguru. At that stage, there is no student, no teacher, and no teaching. In the Infinite Self, there is no creator, no creation, no destruction, no worlds, no universe, no time (or death), no existence, no names, no forms, no"I", no"you", no"This", no"that", no truth, no false, no likes or dislikes, no humans, no demons, no elements, no bodies, no meditation, no sorrow, no enjoyment, no beginning, no middle, and no end: all is at all times, beyond the comprehension of the body-mind-intellect. According to the scriptures, the skillful living is to identify inside with the Infinite Self alone, and yet play in the Leelaa outside with no emotional attachment. How can one go about cultivating this skill?"By the constant company of the holy ones (Satsang)", the scriptures will say.

Dhandh bandh binse maya ke saadhu sangat mite bisoor:In the company of Saadh Sangat, the affairs and entanglement of Maya vanish; all the sorrows come to an end (sggs 716).

From such holy company of godly souls one learns as to what is worth seeking and what is to be avoided. Which, in turn, creates a sincere wish to break the shackles of material bondage (ignorance). This leads to serious Shabad Vichaar (reflections). As the Shabad Vichaar thins out delusion, the mind attains pure wisdom and becomes subtle. With the rising of this pure wisdom, the apprehension of the unreal is weakened; and one's consciousness moves back in the Reality and becomes established in the Truth. Then the duality and bondage cease to be. Thus, when the mind is made completely calm (or purified) by overcoming duality (or mental conditioning), the illusion (Maya) that deludes the spiritual ignorant comes to an end.

In the SBG, God said that He seeds His Mahadbrahma (read Divine Mother) to create the creation, and He also said that at the end of every ahorAtra, He returns the creation to Her in the form of the elements the creation is made of. We all have heard how Lords BrahmA, Vishnu and Maheshvara are involved in the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the creation. Is this in conflict with the SBG?

In the Vedic upanishads (the 12 cannonized by Sri SankarAchArya), as far as I have read, references to 'three Devas' are not references to Lords BrahmA, Vishnu and Maheshvara, but to the three worlds. In Brihadaranyaka Upanishad, Rishi Yajnyavalkya too elaborated the three Devas to be so. Guru NanakDevji said that God (aKAlapurusha) created three excellent disciples, so who are the three?

I chanced on this reference by accident, which to me, solves the puzzle.

This is extraordinarily simple sanskrit, nevertheless, the translation is:
BrahmANI is the creator, not brahmA; therefore, maheshvarI!
BrahmA is preta (dead body), there is no doubt about that.
VaishnavI is the maintainer, not Vishnu, therefore, maheshvarI!
vishnu is preta, there is no doubt about that.
rudrANI is the devourer, not rudra, therefore, maheshvarI!,
rudra is preta, there is no doubt about that.
brahmA, Vishnu and Mahesha are described as non-functional (jaDa), because surely, they can not function without Prakriti.

The Divine Mother is the Shakti of God, She is the parAshakti. I read that Her jnAnashakti is brahmANI, icchAshakti is vaishnavI, and kriyAshakti is rudrANI. I have also found this reference about the definition of brahmANI.

brahmANI brahmajananAd.h brahmano jIvanena vA. (devipurAna).

(She is known as brahmANI since She is The Mother of brahmA, that is, She gives life to brahmA).

(O personality of Shakti, involved in creation, maintenance and destruction, hostess and embodiment of the (three) guNas (Prakriti), I bow to you.)

Guess why Swami VivekAnanda, the advaitin that he was, also was such a devotee of the Divine Mother! No brainer, is it not?

Vivekananda's close association with Sri Ramakrishna no doubt had much to do with this as well. I am impressed with your point of view and see both Ramakrishna and Vivekananda in it as well. It always amazes me how two people like these could both worship the supreme Lord in two totally different ways and yet end up achieving the very same end. Through Ramakrishna's devotional path our hearts are won, through the great intellect of Vivekananda we learn the liberation of the advaitia Vedanta. Only within Hinduism could such unity within apparent diversity be revealed.

Most excellent letter!

With best regards,"

Dhruba.

soc-religion-hindu@uunet.uu.net

"The self or spirit in man is a tiny part of the Supreme Spirit that pervades everywhere. Sayeth Third Nanak: —
"Mind, thou art an image of the Light, recognize thy essence." (P. 441, Adi Granth)

So the human personality with its constituents of sense organs, mind, the intellect and the self or spirit (Atma) is the finest contrivance that has been evolved by Nature for the exploration of her world of facts, of values, of truth, goodness and beauty. Man can control the outer world as well as the inner world.

So man is the highest point in the process of creation by God. The process of creation has been that of involution cum evolution. All the different forms of existence found in the universe are the involuted forms of the creation that came into being instantaneously by the Will of God. Then began the process of evolution. In this evolutionary process man has reached the highest stage of consciousness so far. He is capable of going still further upwards to the next stage when he would be a fully God-conscious being."

Pritam Singh Gill, The Trinity of Sikhism

"The importance that all these Indian metaphysics, and even the ascetic technique and contemplative method that constitute Yoga, accord to"knowledge"Is easily explained if we take into consideration the causes of human suffering. The wretchedness of human life is not owing to a divine punishment or to an original sin, but to ignorance. Not any and every kind of ignorance, but only ignorance of the true nature of Spirit, the ignorance that makes us confuse Spirit with our psychomental experience, that makes us attribute"qualities"And predicates to the eternal and autonomous principle that is Spirit—in short, a metaphysical ignorance. Hence it is natural that it should be a metaphysical knowledge that supervenes to end this ignorance. This metaphysical knowledge leads the disciple to the threshold of illumination—that is, to the true"Self"

And it is this knowledge of one's Self—not in the profane sense of the term, but in its ascetic and spiritual sense—that is the end pursued by the majority of Indian speculative systems, though each of them indicates a different way of reaching it.

For Samkhya and Yoga the problem is clearly defined. Since suffering has its origin in ignorance of"Spirit"—that is, in confusing"Spirit"With psychomental states—emancipation can be obtained only if the confusion is abolished. The differences between Samkhya and Yoga on this point are insignificant. Only their methods differ: Samkhya seeks to obtain liberation solely by gnosis, whereas for Yoga an ascesis and a technique of meditation are indispensable. In both darshanas human suffering is rooted in illusion, for man believes that his psychomental life—activity of the senses, feelings, thoughts, and volitions—is identical with Spirit, with the Self. He thus confuses two wholly autonomous and opposed realities, between which there is no real connection but only an illusory relation, for psychomental experience does not belong to Spirit, it belongs to nature (prakriti); states of consciousness are the refined products of the same substance that is at the base of the physical world and the world of life. Between psychic states and inanimate objects or living beings, there are only differences of degree. But between psychic states and Spirit there is a difference of an ontological order; they belong to two different modes of being."Liberation"occurs when one has understood this truth, and when the Spirit regains its original freedom. Thus, according to Samkhya, he who would gain emancipation must begin by thoroughly knowing the essence and the forms of nature (prakriti) and the laws that govern its evolution. For its part, Yoga also accepts this analysis of Substance, but finds value only in the practice of contemplation, which is alone capable of revealing the autonomy and omnipotence of Spirit experimentally."

Eliade, M. Yoga, Immortality and Freedom

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